"Out of the Furnace" with Woody Harrelson, Christian Bale and William Dafoe (2014)

Woody Harrelson stars as Harlan DeGroat; a degenerate modern day outlaw;  in this engaging drama about the modern criminal underworld. Russell Baze; played by Christian Bale; and Rodney Baze; played by Casey Affleck; are two brothers from a steel mill town in Pennsylvania. Rodney  is just back from his 4^th tour in Iraq and is not interested in following his brother and father into the steel mills just outside Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has seen their lives degenerate into poverty and illness, and he vows to make something better for himself. But what can he do?

After coming back from his last “stop loss” extension in Iraq Rodney has a lot to be angry about. And a local fight promoter named John Petty; played by Willem Dafoe; is there to exploit that anger as he loans the boy enough money to force him to work off the debt in the ring. Of course Rodney owes Petty more money than he can ever earn in these local fights; unless he takes a “dive” to ensure that Petty wins. But this is something he just cannot seem to make himself do.

Looking at a long future of small time fights leaves him longing for the chance at one big fight to free him from the clutches of his debt to Petty. Petty warns him of the dangers involved in going up against some of these other men, but his warnings go unheeded and Petty sets up the match. The man who controls the fighting game in the area of New Jersey where they go is named Harlan DeGroat and is played brilliantly by Woody Harrelson. From the opening scene in the drive in theater you will loathe this character.

Forrest Whitaker plays local Sheriff Wesley Barnes, who arrests Russell for a DUI. Russell had just paid off Rodney’s gambling debts to Petty. His brother doesn’t know this and so thinks he is still indebted to the loan shark/promoter. In addition, his girlfriend Zoe; played by Lena Taylor; thinks he has abandoned her and is now pregnant with the Sheriff’s child.

When everything goes wrong at the fight in the hills with Harlan DeGroat and his crew, Petty is killed and Rodney goes missing. Russell sets off to find him, mistaking the Sheriff’s methodical ways as stonewalling due to the tangled relationship they have concerning Zoe. In reality that is not true. Knowing that chasing down someone like Harlan DeGroat will get him killed he tries to dissuade Russell from going after him.

But trying to stop Russell from looking for his brother is like trying to stop the wind; it can’t be done. And when he does find him the results are almost predictable, as Russell’s anger seems to have leapt out of the furnace as he extracts his revenge.

This film is written, filmed and directed in a way which will keep you engrossed in the plot and have you feeling involved and sympathetic with the Baze brothers as they attempt to navigate the waters of fate which ultimately come to engulf them.

"Transsiberian" with Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer and Ben Kingsley

An absolutely stunning movie. Everything, from the script to the direction, and the performances of each and every actor, make this a flawless film. Set in Russia along the route of the Trans Siberian Railway also makes this movie a visually brilliant thriller, which you do not want to miss.

Roy and his wife Jessie (Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer) are returning from China through Russia via the Trans Siberian Railway. They are traveling from Beijing, where they have been involved in a church outreach program for children, to Moscow, and then home to America. What is that old saying about "the best laid plans of mice and men?" It clearly applies here.

Roy is an avid fan of old trains and locomotives, which is what leads the couple to take the train, rather than flying home. Jessie is a photographer with a troubled past. Her marriage to Roy has turned her life around and she is thinking of publishing a book of her photos. This trip will give her ample opportunity to indulge that passion.

When Roy and Jessie meet Carlos and Abby (Eduardo Noriega and Kate Mara), a couple traveling through Russia on the way back to Spain, all is not what it appears to be. The couple is a bit secretive, and tension begins to mount between Carlos and Jessie, who is trying to live a clean life with her husband.

When the naive Roy gets off at a remote stop to look at the different train engines, Carlos deliberately loses him, and Roy is left behind. When Jessie discovers he is missing she leaves the train at the next stop to wait for him to catch up. Carlos and Abby stay with her.

Carlos manages to entice Jessie to accompany him alone to a remote, ruined Russian Orthodox Church, under the guise of taking photos. Once they arrive at the church, Carlos becomes physically attentive to Jessie, who at first rebuffs his advances. During the push and pull of the emotional struggle, Carlos becomes violent, attempting to rape Jessie, who then uses a wooden plank to kill him. She returns to the train and is rejoined by Roy. She says nothing of what has happened, or where Carlos might be.

Roy, on his journey to rejoin his wife, has met and befriended Russian Police Inspector Grinko (Ben Kingsley) who has been following the trail of Carlos, who is a drug smuggler. To complicate matters even further, Jessie was aware of the smuggling and is actually in possession of some heroin, disguised as Bubushka Dolls. Carlos placed the dolls in Jessie's baggage, without her knowledge, prior to the events at the church. She is now frantic as she attempts to dispose of the contraband while confined to a train, under the watchful eyes of Inspector Grinko.

What happens to Abby, and what Jessie chooses to do about it, are the key questions that keep you glued to this film. The interaction of the two women, filled with mysterious undercurrents, played against the irrepressible innocence of Roy, bring a high tension to this magnificent film.

With a climax that keeps you on edge until the credits begin to roll, you don't want to miss this film. Agatha Christie would be proud.

"The Messenger" with Woody Harrelson and Ben Foster with Samantha Morton

Human relationships are complicated affairs. Throw in a war, injury, death, morals and ethical decisions, along with passion, and things can get really dicey. Such is the quandry faced by Will Montgomery, played by Ben Foster, in this soul searching film, which explores an often overlooked facet of war. Who tells the families when their loved ones are not coming home? And how does it affect, and even alter, their own lives?

When Will returns home from Iraq, he is assigned to the Casualty Notification Unit, informing the next of kin that their husbands, sons, daughters, or wives will not be coming home. While still battling his own demons from the war, he must face these new challenges. While working under the command of Captain Tony Stone, played by Woody Harrelson, a hard ass "by the books" officer, Will is tested beyond anything he has ever imagined.

When he is tasked with notifying a woman named Olivia, played by Samantha Morton, that her husband has fallen in combat, the two are drawn to one another. This sets off a battle of ethical and moral proportions, as Will struggles through the pain of what he has been through in war, and the battle he must now face concerning love.

With a great script, credible direction and laudable acting, this is a good, solid film that looks beyond "Rambo", and will have you hurting for all of the people involved. Sometimes life is like that. There are no good guys, there are no bad guys; just people struggling to come to terms with whatever has been thrown at them.

Movie Review- Nanking with Mariel Hemingway and Woody Harrelson

This is a movie that needs to be seen. The Rape of Nanking has been covered in many books and documentaries before. But never with the intensity of this one.

Mariel Hemingway and Woody Harrelson potray the 2 American Diplomats who refused to close the Embassy and flee. Along with Stephen Dorff playing the Nazi businessman who also found himself morally bound to remain and help, this documentary reaches out and draws you in. It becomes real to you.

The insanity of war aside, the horrors of war crimes are particularly applicable today, when all sides seem to have lost their collective reason.

Remember, this is a documentary, not a movie as I had expected. The stars mentioned appear only as characters reading from their own diaries and letters. It is an intensley researched film. Also of note is that the Chinese witnesses and diplomats speak in Chinese with English subtitles. This adds to the multi-national color of the story.

And the back story is the co-operation betwen the Nazi run German Embassy and the United States as they try to avert the impending tragedy. A strange alliance considering what would take place in only a few short years.

A worthwhile experience, this docu-drama will affect you. And that's what makes this film so important.